Assignment Instructions
This guided assignment is a “think piece,” which is an essay that requires you to interact with a subject and develop your own interpretation based on that experience. In this case, we will be looking atWestward Expansion from1860 to 1890.
You should always start with a good thesis paragraph that builds an argument. This is more than an op-ed column or a blog. Analysis is the process whereby the researcher separates something into its component parts. In an analytical essay, the writer examines a subject relative to its own terms, and explains the problem by studying the individual parts. In contrast, synthesis requires that the researcher examine individual unrelated parts in an effort to discover something new. A good essay will utilize both analysis and synthesis. Instead of examining the simple facts of a problem, the writer will go beyond the obvious, making connections between different pieces of evidence to discover something new.
First things first:For this guided assignment we will use an interactive map of Westward Expansion from 1860 to 1890.
You can access it at this URL:http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/akh10_int_expansion/(The interactive map will often not work with Google Chrome).
Note:If you cannot access the PBS map,here is an alternative on National Geographic:https://www.nationalgeographic.org/maps/tracking-growth-us/
A Word on Sources
You should use a minimum of two other scholarly, peer-reviewed resources found in the APUS library.
This does not include encyclopedias or dictionaries -- they are not considered college-level work.
Be sure to include the map(s) as a source, too!
Once you have the map open, click on the boxes for Major Cities, Railroad Networks, Improved Agricultural Land, and States and Territories. At the bottom of the map, you will notice the decades 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1890. Click on each of these decades in succession and you will see the ways in which the country changed. The goal of this assignment is for you to interpret, synthesize, and analyze what you are seeing on the map. You will make a well-organized argument, support that through research, and then write a conclusion for your findings.
This essay should be at least three double-spaced pages of text (Times New Roman, font size 12) and you must consult a minimum of two academically credible sources.
If you use any of the information from your sources word-for-word, you must cite the source by using endnotes or footnotes, and enclose those words within quotation marks. If you read the information and write it in your own words and it is not common knowledge, then you must cite the source because you are paraphrasing someone's information.
Bibliographies and citations mustbe in MLAor Chicago format. If you use APA format, then remember to capitalize all proper nouns (countrynames, etc.)in book titles.
Cover pages are required. They must includeyour name, institution, course number/title, instructor's name, and date.
Please label your paper as follows:lastnamefirstnameHIST102ShortPaper.
This essay needs to be turned in through the assignment section for grading.